Cindy Crawford's Unretouched Photo Is A Fake, Claims Photographer

According to the photographer who took the snap, the image is a fake (!!!).

In a letter obtained by TMZ, Crawford's attorney wrote that the picture was "stolen" and "maliciously altered." The letter also included a statement from photographer John Russo, who claimed that the photo was Photoshopped to make the supermodel look different from what she actually looks like.

"It has been falsely claimed that this photograph represents an un-retouched image of Cindy Crawford. This is not true," Russo said in a statement to ABC News Monday. "It is a fraudulent altered version of my photograph. I am grateful that this fact has been brought to the public's attention and that corrections are being run in the media."

Russo, who shot the 49-year-old model for the Dec. 2013 issue of Marie Claire Mexico, also said that the picture was "stolen or unlawfully accessed and then altered and distributed to the media."

The image was a stark contrast to an Instagram pic that Crawford's husband Rande Gerber posted the week the Marie Claire photo was leaked online. In Gerber's pic, Crawford lounges poolside in a tiny bikini, looking quite different from the supposedly unretouched photo.

"I really think—at any age—it's learning to be comfortable in your own skin." Cindy said. "If women would treat themselves with the same kind of love they give to their friends, that would be such a great gift we could give ourselves. What makes you the most attractive is self-confidence. That's what people see."